The Dragon’s Chance by Jessie Donovan

Chapter Eight

After leaving Sophie safely with Ian, Jake and Sylvia had gone to the restaurant. Jake deemed it a decent size—maybe sixty or seventy people could sit at the tables inside and several more at the counter. And the place had a fair amount of charm with artwork of dragons and landscapes on the walls, as well as cheery colors of yellow or light blue for tablecloths, and vases of flowers on every table.

While it was a long way from the more refined elegance of his establishments back in San Fran, it suited what he'd seen of Lochguard so far. Homey and comfortable were more important than rich, refined decorations.

To be honest, it reminded him of his early days, when he'd still been working his way up the chain at a small, family-owned restaurant as he finished culinary school.

Sylvia had just finished giving Jake his tour and had gestured for him to take a seat near the window for some tea and lunch when an older woman—the one who had come up to him the day before to ask if he'd come to see Sophie—walked up to him and asked, "So are you staying around now? Or will you abandon poor Sylvia to raise the child alone?"

He was about to ask who the rude woman was when Sylvia said, "Don't, Meg. Just leave it, aye?"

Meg huffed. "No, I won't. Poor lassie, raising a child all by herself, and at your age too. And then he comes waltzing in and gives no promises. Not how it was done in my day, not at all."

A fair younger man—no, dragonman, judging by his tattoo—and a woman with black, curly hair and brown skin raced up and stopped next to Meg. It was the dragonman who said, "Leave them alone, Mum."

Meg bristled. "I can't do that, Alistair, so don't ask me to. Sylvia doesn't have a mother to watch out for her, so someone has to be there for her."

Jake cleared his throat, garnering Meg's attention. "And who, might I ask, are you?"

The dragonwoman raised her brows. "I'm Meg Boyd, of course. One of the ones looking after young Sylvia."

Jake didn't care for liars, and he could already tell Meg was one of them. He stood, leaned close to Meg, and murmured so the other ears at nearby tables wouldn't be able to hear his words. "Looking after her, are you? Then where were you yesterday? Or the day before? I think you've never come by to help once, am I right?" The older woman opened her mouth and then shut it. He leaned back and spoke in a normal tone. "Now, if you don't mind, we're about to have lunch. So if you'd excuse us."

Meg looked to say something, but the dragonman at her side turned her away. "Come, Mum." He then nodded at Jake. "I'm Alistair Boyd. Sorry about my mother. She won't bother your lunch."

As he guided Meg away, the dark-haired woman approached him and smiled. "Good, someone needs to deal with Meg on occasion. Too many people are bloody afraid of her." She put her hand out. "I'm Kiyana Boyd, Alistair's mate, and one of the humans living here."

He shook her hand. "I'm Jake Swift."

She nodded and reached for something in her bag. Then she scribbled and handed him a piece of paper. "If you need any help, or have questions, call me. I've worked for the Department of Dragon Affairs for years and like helping other humans adjust." She lowered her voice. "And don't worry, Alistair and I don't live with his mother, so you won't have to chance bumping into her. We also have a young daughter, so maybe when Sophie's a bit older, they can play together."

He took the paper and smiled at her. Even if he didn't know her, his gut said she was honest and would be true to her word. "Thank you." He raised it. "I'll call if I need it."

Kiyana smiled at him and then Sylvia before racing after her mate and mother-in-law.

He noticed others in the room glancing at them, but Jake decided to ignore their stares and focused on Sylvia as he sat back down. "I didn't want to start gossip, but I couldn't let her act high and mighty when I know for a fact she hasn't been helping you."

The dragonwoman's cheeks turned pink. "Meg means well."

"Perhaps. But her words have me thinking." He kept his voice low again, wishing they were somewhere more private. "From what your kids told me, you have a lot of in-laws. I get the impression they didn't help you after your mate's death. Why?"

She fiddled with the silverware a few beats before she murmured, "Not here. Let's go to my office."

He followed her out of the main dining area, down a hall, and into a medium-sized room with a desk, a few bookcases along the wall, and small sofa against another wall. Once the door closed, she leaned against her desk. Jake raised his brows in question, and she finally spoke. "Let me start by saying we've all reconciled and it's no longer an issue."

He raised his brows. "That's not an answer, Sylvia."

She sighed. "I know. But I wanted to set the scene, so you won't get too angry, aye?"

Jake didn't like the sound of that, but he did his best to keep his expression neutral. "Okay. Then tell me what happened."

She fiddled with a pen on her desk as she said, "Everyone took Arthur's death hard. And as I mentioned, I had trouble with it. I wasn't allowing visitors for the first month, and it sort of angered my in-laws. And when one of Arthur's brothers, Arlo, forced his way in and saw me hiding away in bed, he threatened to take my children away and raise them himself."

Sylvia paused a beat, took a deep breath, and then continued, "Cat and Connor yelled at him and told him to leave. I didn't hear what happened next until later, but apparently, Arlo had said that if he left without my children, they'd all be on their own and the MacAllisters wouldn't help any of us. Cat and Connor had told him fine and shoved him out of the house."

She met his gaze again. "That happened the week before Cat finally got me out of my bedroom. It was weeks before I learned of what had happened, which made the tension worse."

"Because the MacAllisters thought you agreed to sever ties."

She nodded. "Once I was back into a mostly normal routine, I sought them out, and slowly we mended fences. But it took years for any sort of ease to come back."

He took a step toward her and tentatively took her hand. When she didn't pull away, he squeezed gently. "And your own family?"

She shook her head. "My mother died shortly after I was born, and it was just my dad and me. He died a few years before Arthur did, so I didn't have anyone else here to lean on. My mother was from Spain, and I have relatives there, but I've never met them. And I wasn't about to take my children from everything they knew and show up on their doorsteps, hoping they'd help. So I did the best I could here instead. It's part of the reason I relied on Cat so heavily, even once I was back on my feet—I had to run the restaurant on my own and couldn't be a full-time mother."

As far as Jake knew, clan leaders were supposed to help everyone under their protection. He asked about it and Sylvia gave a sad smile. "The leader before Finn was quite a bit different. He didn't like to get in between families unless bloodshed was imminent. So it was pointless to bother him since he'd merely dismiss it as my problem to handle."

The more he learned about Sylvia's circumstances after her mate's murder, the more it angered him. She thought herself a failure, and yet the enormity of what she'd managed to live through was the opposite of it. Almost everyone had abandoned her, and she'd done the best she could to take care of herself and her five children.

And she'd been left to face hardship again by taking care of Sophie alone as well. Sure, her children were there, but the more he learned about Sylvia, the more he realized she wanted to be the one to take care of everyone but herself.

He gently took her chin in his fingers and ensured she maintained eye contact as he said, "More than ever, I'm sorry that I wasn't here for your pregnancy and Sophie's early days. But I promise I'll be around to help you from now on. This time, you won't have to try to take on the world alone."

She smiled sadly. "As much as I'd like that, you have a life back in America, Jake—businesses, family, and friends. I can't ask you to leave it all behind because of some unreliable condoms from a one-night stand." He opened his mouth to protest, but she pushed on before he could. "My mother tried to do that, leaving her family behind in Spain, thinking she'd be fine on a new clan in a foreign land. And as she lay dying soon after I was born, everyone said she wished she'd seen her family and friends in Spain more often." She shook her head. "I don't want that for you. So I hope you'll visit when you can, and that will mean the world to Sophie. But that's all it can be."

He resisted growling at her determination to push him away. Jake wasn't one to make rash decisions. Well, usually. The night with Sylvia had been one of his rare spontaneous exceptions.

However, his restaurants were established and he could hire managers. Some of his family would probably even be willing to move to Scotland if it were possible, to leave behind memories of his late nephew.

Not to mention that with technology, it would be easy enough to contact the friends he cared about.

Because when it came down to it, Jake only had one daughter. Hell, she might be his only child, ever.

And he was damned if he'd visit her once or twice a year, hoping Sophie remembered him each time he showed up.

Somehow, some way, he was going to find a way to be a part of his daughter's life.

However, he sensed that if he said that now, Sylvia would dismiss it as being hasty.

And while it was true, they'd barely spent much time together, Jake trusted his gut. And he wanted to be in his daughter's life more than anything. If he could win her mother, it would be even better.

He knew a teasing, playful woman was inside there somewhere, as he'd seen her a year ago in Glasgow. He had a feeling that side of Sylvia would come out again if given the chance.

He'd just have to woo her slowly. Prove he meant to be there for her and Sophie to lean on, until she didn't doubt him.

Until she didn't think he'd leave when it became inconvenient. Or abandon her like many of those she'd loved over the years had done at one point or another.

Mind made up, he finally replied, "For now, we have these two weeks." He leaned closer, until his lips were a few inches from hers. "Tell me you'll give me those, at least, Sylvia. To better know both you and Sophie." He lightly caressed her cheek, her soft, warm skin making his heart beat faster. He murmured, "Because I know last night wasn't enough for me."

Her pupils flashed to slits and back before she whispered, "Sophie, of course, you should know. I'm not as sure about us."

"And what does your dragon say?"

She hesitated as her pupils flashed some more. Eventually, she sighed and said, "She sides with you. Of course she does."

His lips twitched. "You sound irritated about it."

She harrumphed. "Anything with a cock would make her happy."

He chuckled. "And you're reminding me yet again of how much I love your inner beast."

She tried not to smile and failed. "She mostly likes you, I should say. She's rather upset about you not seeing her in her dragon form yet."

"We could do that now, while Ian still has Sophie." She glanced away and he pushed, "It'll help me get used to seeing dragons, for one thing. And it'll help with my dragon-shifter education. My daughter will be able to shift one day, so I'd better start learning."

He held his breath as he waited for Sylvia to reply. His first instinct was to keep pushing until she said yes.

But it seemed like everyone tried to push her around or even tried to roll over her. First her in-laws, and then Meg Boyd. Sometimes even her five grown-up children did it too.

He'd much rather gently nudge Sylvia and let her shine on her own. After all, he suspected no one else thought that was what she needed.

He could be wrong, but Jake would amend his plans as he went.

She finally let out a long breath and nodded. "Aye, I should show you my dragon form. Because if I wait too long, one of my children will cart you off to shift for you, and I suspect they'll forget all of their manners when they do and merely try to scare you."

He chuckled. "They could try. But I think Emma likes me, at least. And I'm working on Jamie."

She searched his gaze. "Why are you trying so hard with them?"

He shrugged one shoulder. "They're Sophie's family, which makes them my family too, in a way. I haven't had a chance to tell you much about my sisters, nieces, and nephews, but they're important to me. It's why I didn't come to Lochguard sooner."

"Then let's make that our deal—you tell me what kept you and then I'll show you my dragon."

"Only if we can eat at the same time. I won't have you fainting again."

She bit her lip. "That was a one-off."

"Regardless, ensuring you eat and sleep enough is the least I can do for the gift of giving me a daughter, Sylvia."

She opened her mouth and then closed it. After a few seconds, she finally murmured, "I put in an order with Connor earlier so it should be ready. Wait here. I'll be right back."

Sylvia left, and he walked around the room, wanting to learn a little more about his dragonwoman's everyday life. Both because he wanted to know, but it also helped distract him. Talking about Nick's death wasn't easy, even after all these months. But if Sylvia could share her grief, depression, and family troubles after her mate's murder, he could do this too.

* * *

Sylvia triedto ignore the warmth in her chest as she remembered Jake's words and touch.

Trying to resist him and convince him not to give up everything for her was going to be difficult. And yet, she didn't want him to resent her for the rest of his life.

Her mother had loved her father, from what everyone said. But she'd still grown sadder by the day the longer she lived away from her family.

Some said her sadness, even more than her complications from childbirth, had ultimately caused her mother's death.

And Sylvia wouldn't cause that sort of regret or sadness for Jake, especially since neither of them was in love to begin with.

Oh, aye, Sylvia could see herself falling for him in time—who wouldn't want the charming, supportive, successful human—but she was doing her best to guard her heart. Sophie depended on her, as did her other children, full-grown or not. They were what mattered, in the end.

As she picked up their lunch orders from the kitchen and headed back toward her office, her dragon couldn't keep quiet any longer. I still don't understand why you keep trying to push Jake away. If he wants to stay here, it's his choice. You shouldn't worry about the worst outcome possible.

I have to worry. The only way Jake could stay on Lochguard is if he were to mate me. And I don't want it forced.

Her beast sniffed. He's a grown male. Let him make his own choices.

You only say that because you want him to share our bed every night.

Day, too. But that's not the only reason. It's nice to have a partner again, someone to help share the burden.

Sophie's not a burden.

Maybe not a burden, but a lot of work. And he seems to love taking care of her.

That part Sylvia wouldn't argue with. Even if it were early days and he might grow more disheveled and irritated as time wore on due to lack of sleep or peace, she was glad Sophie had this time with her father.

Strange as it was, her daughter seemed to instinctively know Jake was her dad and loved being with him. He seemed to radiate a calming sort of confidence, one that Sylvia couldn't seem to manage.

She'd forgotten what it was like to raise a child with a supportive mate at her side.

Her dragon grunted. If it's a supportive mate you want, give him a chance.

Sylvia was nearly back to her office, so she said quickly to her beast, I promised him these two weeks. Just accept that for now, aye?

Fine.

As her dragon curled up to nap, Sylvia entered her office, laid the plates down on either side of the desk, and shut the door.

Jake turned from his place by the window and smiled. The crinkles at the corner of his eyes made her heart skip a beat. "Did you create the small, walled garden just outside this window, or did it come that way with the building?"

She glanced at the wee slice of paradise, the one she loved to sit in during a break or a slow time, to simply enjoy the scents of the flowers and any sunshine that happened to make an appearance. "Arthur originally built it for me, and we filled it out together. Although in recent years, Ian and Connor have maintained it."

He gestured toward the seat in front of the desk. "Let's eat and I'll tell you why I didn't come looking for you sooner."

She nearly blinked at the change of topic. At least she wouldn't have to badger him to get an answer.

Jake waited until she sat and took the first bite of her sandwich before he sat across from her. "I'll start by saying I have two much older sisters—I was a surprise for my parents, born eight years after their last child—and it was my eldest sister, Lila, who took me in at fifteen when our parents were killed in a car crash."

She itched to ask for details but somehow knew this wasn't yet the point of his story. So Sylvia nodded. He eyed her sandwich again. Looking toward the ceiling—really, he'd just revealed his parents had died when he was still a child, and he wanted her to eat—she picked it up and ate another bite.

After he smiled at her a second, he continued, "Growing up, it had always been hard to really get to know my sisters since they are eleven and eight years older than me. But living with Lila after my parents' deaths, well, we grew close. I was there when her first child learned to walk and saw her next two children the day they each respectively came home from the hospital. In the end, I lived there four years before I moved out.

"And when Lila's husband died of cancer a few years ago, me and Ada—our other sister—grew even closer. We all helped Lila when we could and did our best to make her children laugh or smile. And everything was going great again. We'd even planned a big camping trip for this upcoming summer, with everyone all together for once, which was a big deal since Lila's son Nick was in the Marines and hadn't been home much since he joined at eighteen." He paused, tapped his hand against the desk a few times, and said, "And then word came of Nick's missing in action. At first, everyone held out hope. But as time went on, it faded. The military eventually sent their condolences, saying they'd confirmed his death." He met her gaze head-on. "It destroyed my eldest sister, her two daughters, Nick's wife, and the family as a whole."

Her heart ached at the thought of losing one of her sons so young. She couldn't begin to imagine what Lila had gone through. "When did that happen?"

He sighed. "About eight months ago, two weeks before I had decided to come to Scotland and talk with you. But I couldn't leave then. I had to stay and keep everyone together. Even though I'm the youngest, I was always the sort of peacekeeper between everyone as adults. And while my sister will never be fine with the loss of her son, she's doing a little better these days. The same with Nick's sisters and Nick's wife. So I was finally able to come seek you out." He leaned forward. "Do know that I wish I could've come here sooner, back when I had originally planned to."

Sylvia shook her head. "Don't worry about that. Of course you needed to help your family." She bit her lip and then blurted, "I'm surprised you left them to chase the female who slipped away during the night without a word."

He never broke his gaze as he replied, "Certain people leave an impression, and you were one of them. I don't like what-ifs. I spent too much of my time as a late teen wondering about how things could've been different if my parents had lived." He reached out and took one of her hands. "It's why I'm here, and I'm glad I came. Not only for the beautiful, caring, kind dragonwoman, either. I didn't realize how much I wanted a child until I held Sophie for the first time."

Her cheeks heated at his words. Not only for the compliments, but for the fact he was as grateful for Sophie as she was.

Aye, well, nearly so. She decided to blurt the truth she hadn't yet told him. "I'm grateful for Sophie, too, in more ways than one. Remember how I said I was ill?" He nodded. "The doctors couldn't figure out exactly what was wrong with me. My blood tests indicated some of my organs were failing, among other things. They were at wit's end trying to figure out what caused it and how to save me. But in the end, Sophie was the one who did it. The doctors think her human hormones helped me in some way and reversed the decline. I haven't had a poor result since I became pregnant. And even if they haven't pinpointed the illness exactly, it's made Dr. MacFarland realize the further potential of human hormones in helping dragon-shifters." She paused a second to clear the emotion from her throat before whispering, "So without Sophie, I might not be alive right now. I'm more grateful than I could ever believe for the wee surprise you left me."

He squeezed her hand. "And I'm grateful that you're still here too."

As they stared at one another, something shifted inside Sylvia. Oh, she wanted this male. It would be so easy to care for him, to grow addicted to his smiles and the way he seemed to put her at ease without even trying.

Not to mention he made her skin heat and desire flood her body with a mere touch.

But rather than think of a future that probably wouldn't happen, she withdrew her hand and changed the subject back to Jake's family. "So will you still have a family camping trip this year?"

He raised his brows at her sudden question but then settled back in his chair. "I don't think so. To be honest, in the aftermath of Nick's death, I think we all forgot about it. Although…"

His voice trailed off, and she nudged, "What?"

"Well, do you like camping?"

She blinked. "Camping? It's not something dragon-shifters usually do, unless they're on the run. After all, we can easily fly somewhere for the day and come back." She searched his face a beat. "Why?"

He smiled. "I was thinking maybe I could fly my sisters, brother-in-law, nephew and nieces, and Nick's wife here for a trip."

She frowned. "That would cost a bloody fortune."

Jake shrugged. "I can afford it."

For a second, she wondered if her attractive, charming human was also rich. Not that it mattered to her—she'd been content working in a restaurant for most of her life—but it would still be a bit of a shock. "I don't know. Where would they stay? I doubt the DDA would allow them all to holiday with a dragon clan."

He swallowed his latest bit of sandwich. "Well, I'm sure there has to be somewhere we can all stay together, maybe rent some cottages or something instead of camping. I'd like them to meet you and Sophie. No matter what happens, you'll still be family. And you can invite your children too."

For a second, she wondered how it'd be to have a family gathering without all of the MacAllister in-laws trying to outdo each other for the spotlight. One where she might actually get to play hostess without her in-laws stepping on her toes, or how it would feel to not wonder if someone was thinking about Arthur anytime they saw her.

Her dragon said softly, It'll be nice for his family, too, to be somewhere new, some place that doesn't constantly remind them of the lad they lost.

But Cat's bairn is due anytime now, aye?

Ask him about the details before making a decision.

Jake looked at her and waited. She finally said, "It'd have to be after my daughter has her bairn. She's due in the next couple of weeks."

"It wouldn't be until May or June anyway, and that's eight, ten, or even twelve weeks away, depending on the date. Cat and her mate might not be able to do more than a day trip with a new baby, or maybe it would be old enough to stay in a cottage with them. We'll figure something out, I promise. What do you think?"

Despite the nervousness bouncing around her stomach at the thought of meeting all of Jake's family, Sylvia bobbed her head. "If it's the end of June, then Cat and Lachlan could probably come. Dragon-shifters tend to recover quickly after birth, at least after the first week or so post-delivery."

She refused to think her daughter would be one of the females who got an infection and died, like her mother had.

No, Cat was strong. And stubborn. Her daughter would—had to—live.

Jake smiled. "Sounds perfect, as I'm sure the weather will be better then anyway. From what I've heard, August or early September might be the warmest, but I can't wait that long." He rubbed his hands together, and the joy in his eyes made Sylvia smile wider.

For a male in his forties, he had the excitement of a child at times. And she had a feeling if she were around it often enough, it'd be infectious.

Jake finally added, "Then I just need to find a place where humans and dragons can stay together. Maybe your clan leader would know of one?"

"Finn probably would." She paused and asked, "Just how many people would be coming?"

"My sisters and their families would be eight, and with Nick's wife—she has no other family and we've unofficially adopted her—would make nine. Although my cousin Ashley, her mate, and their son might want to come. That might be trickier, though. How do dragon-shifters do on airplanes?"

Good question. "I've never experienced it myself, but usually any dragon-shifter of shifting age has to be drugged unconscious or have their dragon silenced for the flight."

He tapped his hand on the desk, a sign she was coming to understand meant he was thinking. "Once we're done here, I'll talk to Finn before I head back toward your cottage." He smiled. "If I can make it work, it might be just what my family needs." He leaned over and lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Maybe one of your sons or daughter will hit it off with one of my nieces or nephew. They're all in their twenties now, so who knows."

She snorted. "I doubt it as none of my older children are looking. But I wouldn't mention it or even tease about it, or Ian will flat-out refuse to come. He doesn't always act it when it's just with family, but he's the shyest of all my children, and facing so many new people will make him want to hide behind his work."

He chuckled. "I won't even tease about it. It's more important for everyone to relax, get to know each other, and have fun. So let's hurry and finish eating so I can talk to Finn. Once I get an idea in my head, I itch to see it come true."

She ate a few chips from her plate before asking, "You do that for your restaurants, aye? Go full tilt to see if a new idea will work."

"Of course."

And as he went into detail about the changes he'd made in decorations or menus, Sylvia enjoyed listening to his warm, deep, passionate voice.

So many things seemed to make Jake animated and full of smiles or grins. She rather liked that about him.

Almost as if seeing his joy stoked a little of her own.

Not that she wanted to think of that. The last male to have that ability, albeit more through teasing than anything else, had been her late mate. But she and Jake weren't more than co-parents who sometimes slept together.

Her dragon snorted but remained quiet.

When they both finished eating and Jake left to talk to Finn, Sylvia nearly jumped to follow him. They'd been together almost constantly for the last two days, and it was strange to not have him near.

That realization rang further warning bells inside her head.

Her dragon sighed. Stop worrying. Just enjoy him and have fun.

While she gathered their empty plates and tried to tell herself she could do that, Connor came in and thankfully distracted her with restaurant business for the next hour or so.